Certain materials are produced in large sheets having substantial lengths. Portions of these materials are separated for use or installation by cutting smaller pieces from the larger piece.
An example of such a material is a floor covering. Floor coverings are commonly manufactured from materials such as vinyl. Floor coverings are produced in sheets and are formed in a roll for ease of transportion.
A large piece of floor covering may be grossly separated from the larger roll. The piece which is grossly separated approximates the size which is needed to cover a particular floor in a house or building.
However, as the floor covering is installed, it is necessary to accurately shape the floor covering to the floor to be covered. The floor covering is positioned over the floor to be covered, and an installer cuts the floor covering to the required dimensions. The final shape of the floor covering as it is installed will typically be of varied shapes to account for numerous corners within a room, such as a kitchen. The floor covering must be precisely cut so as to adequately and properly cover the floor, and mistakes in cutting can result in large and valuable pieces of floor covering being rendered unusable.
In the prior art, straight edge devices are used to assist in cutting materials formed in sheets. Straight edges in common use are typically simple elongated planes. These elongated planes may have a safety guard formed along the length of the straight edge, or the straight edge may be flexible in nature. The straight edges may also provide 90.degree. angles or "squares" for forming right angles in the material to be cut. Graduated markings are sometimes provided on the straight edges for measuring.
However, in the prior art, these straight edges are difficult to handle. No means is provided to both steady the straight edge along its length and to hold it securely against the material to be cut, while a blade is drawn across the material to cut the material. In the prior art, a user's knee is placed near one end of the straight edge, while the user places his or her hand further along the length of the straight edge to steady the straight edge. However, the placing of a hand on the plane of the elongated planar straight edge does not always provide sufficient pressure to hold the straight edge in place. Further, the user's hand which is holding the straight edge is subject to being easily cut as the blade, which is held in the opposite hand, is drawn with substantial force along the straight edge.